“Somewhere on Fullerton” felt like a holistic summary of what pop-punk had become up to that point, and 2002 was the peak of the genre - not necessarily in sales or popularity but in musical output.ĭrive-Thru had an outstanding year that year. It was the perfect storm of adolescent spirit. The band’s sound was an amalgamation of its peers at the time, taking in bits of Green Day’s skittering attitude, Blink-182’s spunky pop appeal, and New Found Glory’s hopeless romantic croon. The song metabolizes all of the elements we love about pop-punk, from power chords to sing-along hooks to high-flying solos, blending them into one fast-paced banger. “Fullerton” made it into the bracket as a 12-seed with the odds stacked against it, but it made it into the bracket for a reason. But what this band does have is a tremendously loyal fanbase and a moment-in-time hit that still stands as a high moment for the genre. It’s surprising that, in a popularity contest decided by fan votes, a band like Allister could come out on top, as they don’t have the clout of Blink or Green Day, or even Drive-Thru label mates like New Found Glory or The Starting Line.

If you’re as shocked as we are, don’t be. “Somewhere on Fullerton” defeated Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” in the championship of Pop-Punk May Madness, accruing over 65 percent of the vote. The winner was “Somewhere on Fullerton” by an early 2000s Drive-Thru Records group called Allister, and it pummeled through all four of those songs in consecutive matchups en route to the title. It wasn’t either of Blink-182’s top hits off international sensation Enema of the State, “All the Small Things” and “What’s My Age Again?” It wasn’t Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue,” its nostalgic guitars and violins hitting us right in the heartstrings. It wasn’t Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” its wordy chorus propelling the band to supreme heights. But the winner was a shocker to most of us. We seeded 64 songs in what we called Pop-Punk May Madness, letting your votes decide the matchups all the way to a single champion.

Over the past month, we’ve played out a bracket to crown a holder of this exact title. What is the best pop-punk song of all-time? There are a lot of choices, with dozens of songs that have broken ground for the genre and made a dent in our cultural consciousness - much of that thanks to the popularity of MTV and Fuse and the surge of the internet.

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